Hearts no Kuni no Rose
by Tomoru
Summary: Timid, shy, delicate Rose Hargreaves is Alice Liddell's granddaughter and has lived with her for as long as she can remember. When Rose is 13, Alice meets her deathbed, she decides that Rose would be better off in the Country of Hearts. How will Rose fair in the game? And what about all the guns and crazy characters who will claim to love her?
1. Prologue

_**Prologue: Nightmare and Promise**_

In the early hours of the morning, sobs can be heard from deep within the critical care unite of the hospital. Inside a private room, an aged woman sat with the aid of the inclined hospital bed, her person connected a beeping machine that monitored her life force and kept a steady flow of water and oxygen dancing in and out. Through the breathing mask over her wrinkled mouth, she smiled weakly at the child in her lap, who was sobbing with no remorse or shame. The long, curly brown head, lifted to look at the old woman, tears and desperation staining her forest green eyes.

"You can't die, Grandma," the thirteen-year-old choked. "You just can't. I need you!" Her tears flowed anew over the brims of her lower lids. The girl tried her hardest to calm the waterworks, if only so she could speak plainly. A childishly balled fists she rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to dry them of all possibly liquid. "I want you to stay..." she whimpered.

The old woman, with a fragile hand, took the girls fist from her raw, puffy eyes and held it gentle, unraveling it from its tight ball. "I know, Dear. I know," she cooed, soothingly, rubbing the girls hand in order to offer some sort of comfort. "And I would stay forever if I could possibly but...that is not the case." Her voice barely made it above a whisper. "Just remember our plan. The incubus will show you the way. And...don't forget my letter."

"I won't..." the girl promised with a trembling lower lip.

The woman released her hold of the girl's hand and reached to her cheek. She caressed the flushed, freckled cheek tenderly, her thumb wiping away one of the many escaping cascades. "Good girl," she whispered. "Would you lay me back now, Child? I need to rest."

Sniffling, the girl nodded. The weakening woman let her hand fall over her stomach. The girl, holding her breath so not to cry anymore, her throat burning with the tears that were desperate to fall, stood and adjusted the bed to a laying position. She looked down at her grandmother, her silver hair sprawled over the pillow, spilling over the sides of the bed. She tried to imagine her as the young woman that lined the picture frames at home, the strong woman that had taken care of her for as long as she could remember, but she couldn't. She choked on more tears, but swallowed them back with a mighty effort. She leaned down and kissed her guardian on the forehead.

"Good night, Grandma," she stated, quietly.

Then she sat down in her nearby chair, taking hold of the old woman's hand. It was a feeble action. A naive endeavor that made her think that maybe, just maybe, if she held on to the fading woman's hand, she would have to stay. With a grip keeping her grounded, she could not fall over the final edge. She squeezed the frail hand, receiving a reassuring smile from her grandmother before she closed her eyes, allowing herself to dear as her granddaughter watched.

_The old woman fell into the dreamworld quite peacefully but, in this world of spiraling, muted color, she was no longer the frail old lady who laid with a distraught child holding her hand. In this dream, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl. Her skin was fair, her hair was a pretty shade of dirty blond, and her eyes were still filled with the life that was now fading from her person. Her expression solemn, she looked around the void with, searching with her blue orbs for a familiar face. Her brow creased and her lips curled into a frown when she did not find it. _

_"Nightmare?" she called into the emptiness. "Where are you? I don't have much time left!" Even her voice was that of the girl she once was, no longer troubled by the wheeze and crack of age. _

_As though he had been waiting for a that que, a man of silver hair and an eye patch materialized from the formless nothing in front of the dreaming female. He offered her a smile that was both glee'd to see her _

_as well as fill with a pain similar to the younger girl outside this thin world. "Hello, Alice," he greeted, calmly. _

_Alice managed to smile at him, despite how her mind rang with concern for what was taking place beyond the walls of her dream. She hugged the Incubus. "I'm sorry that I'm putting you through this, Nightmare," she apologized, sincerely, her maturity betraying how she had truly aged, "but-"_

_Nightmare silenced her but cutting her off, "Don't worry, Alice." He returned the embrace she had given him, hugging her a bit tighter, almost afraid to let her go, just as her granddaughter was afraid to. _

_Alice nodded, feeling tears of her own brimming into her throat, but she did not have time for them. She pushed back from the man so she would be able to look him in the eye. "Is everything ready?" _

_Nightmare gave a solemn nod, wishing he could just continue holding her just a little longer. Even though so much time had past, he still found that he still "loved the foreigner". "Everything is ready," he informed her. "But is the girl ready? Are you sure you want her to go to the Country of hearts?"_

_"Yes," Alice replied, her tone definite. _

_Nightmare quirked a half-smile. It appeared she was still stubborn as ever. "Then I'll make it happen, for you." _

_Now, a tiny, solitary tear traveled from Alice's eyes. "Thank you." She wiped the tear away. "I'll miss all of you. Please, take care of her for me."_

_It took everything Nightmare had not to fall into tears then as he felt the dream coming to an end. "We will. I promise."_

_And Alice smiled._

Alice's granddaughter jolted to awareness when, suddenly, the heart monitor gave a high pitched, morbid howl. She jolted to her feet, horrible aware that the hand she held had gone ominously still. She realizing that the monitor showed a purely flat line streaming across that otherwise black screen. She looked at the face of her grandmother, who held a smile so content it could hardly be real. As the sound continued to ring her ears, she squeezed the lip hand, her eyes welling with tears that would soon be wasted.

"Grandma...?" she questioned, childishly. When she got no response, just as the doctors were floating in, the tears spilled over their only dam and cascaded down her cheeks in search of a comfortable landing that would never come. "Wake up!" the girl screamed to no avail. Alice Liddell did not wake.

**So...this is the first chapter in the HNKNA fiction I am writing. What do you think? I would really enjoy some rating, reviews, comments, ideas, anything, even if its just plain harsh. :P **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Tomoru**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Last Time**_

_"You can't die, Grandma. You just can't. I need you!"_

_"Just remember our plan.-Don't forget my letter."_

_"I won't..."_

_"I'm sorry for putting you through this Nightmare."_

_"Don't worry, Alice."_

_"Is everything ready?"_

_"Everything is ready.-Are you sure you want her to go to the Country of Hearts?"_

_"Yes."_

_"-I'll make it happen for you."_

_"Please take care of her for me."_

_"We will. I promise."_

_"Grandma...? Wake up!"_

_**Chapter 1: Through the Looking Glass**_

Alice Liddell's wake was undergoing its final stages on the floor below. Her granddaughter had found a hole in the piteous eyes of the spectators to escape to her upstairs room. The floor was dusted with packed up boxes, readying for her move from this house she had shared with her grandmother to her brother's home in America. Closing the bedroom door with a soft click behind her, her conflicted hues moved across the boxes. She didn't know what was going to happen or when. Was she really going to go to America to live with her older brother? Or would it be as her grandmother had said? Would she end up in the Wonderland that filled her dreams? She wasn't sure anymore, of anything. Her eyes found the backpack that was leaning against her vanity. Either way, she was prepared. She had stowed away extra clothes in the backpack, just in case the Incubus really came to show her the way to the Country of Hearts. Everything else was pack to go to America when the time came.

Sighing out a shaking breath, the girl sat down on her bed. This world seemed to be draining the very life out of her, with the preparations for her grandmother's "final journey" coming to a close. She laid back on the naked mattress, her curly brown hair sprawling over the fabric. Her dark green eyes watched the tiles of the ceiling, counting them slowly, hoping that no one was looking for her downstairs. She was tired of the apologies, the pities, the comments on how much she and her grandmother looked alike, were a like. She covered her eyes with her left arm. She just didn't see it. She looked in the mirror and saw Rose, freckle faced little Rose who couldn't tell a fly to stop buzzing in her ear. She didn't see Alice, beautiful Alice who knew what she wanted. The only thing that she really saw that they were "alike" in was that they both were willing to believe in the impossible. They both believed in Wonderland.

Rose moved her arm from her eyes, again looking into the ceiling. What did she want, really? Did she want to go to the Country of Hearts, as her grandmother wanted her to? Or did she want to stay and live normally? If she had the choice, which would she long for the most? She couldn't come to a conclusion. She had been battling with this since her grandmother actually died. When she was alive and they spoke of their plan together, it seemed perfect but now she was second guessing herself millions of times over. Wonderland could be dangerous. The real world was cruel. Her brother was here. Her brother hadn't contacted her but a few times since he left home. So on and on.

Letting her eyes close, Rose attempted to push away the indecision, the heartache, everything. She tried her hardest to fill her mind with thoughts of the country that had caught her nightmares and fantasy for most of her life. She tried to remember the details about the characters that her grandmother encountered. She tried to remember the descriptions her grandmother gave her about the different places in Wonderland. She tried and tried and sleep took her as she tried.

_**Rose...**_

_The hours of the night had worn on. The guest downstairs had come and gone, leaving the house empty, save for the family who were occupying the vacant rooms. None of these, however, had come to retrieve the youngest of the Hargreaves family. So the girl found herself in a dream. _

_**Rose...**_

_In this dream, there was a chess board, but no pieces. Rather, the board was being used as a table. Cards of different suits were scattered over its black and tan surface. _

_**Rose...**_

_Rose found herself picking up a part of ruby dice from the table, but it had no numbers. The faces were all blank. Still, she cast the dice. The two pieces glinted on in an otherwised shadowed world, moving in a slow motion across the board, over the scattered cards, each contact with the wooden game board making an echoing thump. _

_**Rose.**_

_Her heart started to pound as she watched the dice slow to a stop. One fell still, blank face shimmering with what seemed to be malice. The other die continued to the edge of the game board where it spun on one corner, threatening to topple off the board. It spun and spun, stealing Rose's breath as anticipation took its toll. She found her voice whispering, "Don't fall." But the words never made it to her lips. _

_**Rose.**_

_The die began to waver. Rose felt panic rising in her, making her being fall to a chill, her peach toned cheeks paling to a sickened white. "Please don't fall," came her voice again even though she had not parted her lips. It wavered a moment longer, then began to tip. Now Rose's voice tore from her throat. "Don't fall!" She felt herself lung to save the falling die._

_**Rose!**_

With a cry of fright, Rose jolted awake, her hand outstretched, still reaching to grasp the falling die, her breathing coming in rigid gasps. Slowly, her vision became accustomed to the darkness and she could see that there was no chess board, no cards, no dice. Her outstretched fingers slowly closed and she pulled the hand back, craddling it against her rapidly pounding heart. She looked around the room, swearing she had heard her name being called by...someone. But, perhaps that to was apart of her dream. She took a calming breath. Yes, that was it. It was all just a-

_Rose..._

She jumped as the whisper reached her ear, chilling her. "W-Who's there?" she asked the darkness, her voice almost choking.

_It's time, Rose._

The brunette swallowed a heavy lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. "T-Time...?" she questioned. "A-Are you the Incubus?" Standing rigidly, she looked around the room. Barely above a whisper, she whimpered, "N-Nightmare Gottschalk?" A light flashed to her left. She stiffened and that was all that kept her from jumping free of her skin. She looked over at her vanity to find the glass giving off a soft glow. "O-Oh..." she took that as her answer.

_Hurry now. _

Decision finally rocked her being. Would she stay in the world she knew or run off to the Country of Hearts? Her body seemed to be responding for her. Without a mental note, she had picked up the backpack she had put together. She looked at the bag in her hands. It wasn't like she had to stay in Wonderland...She could leave after she finished the game that her grandmother always told her about, if she was to play that game. She was sure that she would. Didn't all Foreigners have to play? She shifted the floral backpack onto one shoulder, noting how the colors clashed with her black, funeral dress. She reached into her pocket to find the folded letter. For confidence, she squeezed the paper between her thumb and forefinger. She looked back at the glowing mirror. Was this really it? Fear gripped her. What if this was just another nightmare? A real nightmare, not the person she had heard of from her grandmother. Or what if the portal didn't take her to the Country of Hearts?

_Don't be afraid, _the voice assured.

Rose reminded herself the Nightmare of her grandmother's stories could read minds so not to be startled. Slowly, she began to edge toward the vanity. Biting her bottom lip, she reached to touch the glowing surface, still able to see her freckle dusted reflection in the glass. She jerked her hand back when the cold surface rippled under her finger tips. She looked at her hand as though she had been burned then looked back at the mirror. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shot her hand foreward, through the rippling glass. Just as suddenly as she pushed her hand past the mirrors physical form, she was abruptly jerked through the portal and found herself falling, a scream echoing through the space around her. She dared not open her eyes as she fell.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Thank you so very much for your reviews, favorites, and followings everyone! ^ - ^ They mean absolute bunches to me. I really blushed when I saw them. I hope I continue to be worthy of your praise and interest~~~!**_

_**~Tomoru**_

_**Last time**_

_It's time, Rose._

_"A-Are you the incubus? N-Nightmare Gottschalk?"_

_"Hurry now. Don't be afraid."_

_**Chapter 2: Potion of the Game**_

_It had been many turns of time since the Mortician had slept, but he easily recognized the world of dreams just as well as he recognized a gear. He also recognized by the smugged, dulled colors that shifted about him as he stood on pure nothingness, that this was no dream of his design, though it was familiar none-the-less. The Clock Master crossed his arms, his monotonous expression glancing around the shifting void. _

_"You've been sleeping more ofte since Alice, Julius," Nightmare pointed out, materializing to the side of the other man. _

_Julius craned his head only slightly to look at the other Role Holder. He did not allow his expression to flinch as the name struck a cord deep inside him. "You hardly visit my dreams, Nightmare," he pointed out in a fashion that held an underlying, 'What are you up doing here?'_

_Nightmare gave a chuckle. "I came to give you this." The Incubus nodded toward the other's closed arms. _

_"Hm?" Julius looked down at his top most hand, feeling the contors of an polygonal object. His brow furrowed with questioning when he show the heart shaped stopper peeking out of his closed fist. Upon opening said hand, his notion was confirmed. "The Medicine of Hearts?" _

_He did not ask what the liquid was for. He know very well.. All the people of Wonderland did. But...there hadn't been an Outsider of any sort since Alice left hundreds of time shifts ago. It was almost heartbreaking to think that there would ever be another. _

_"You'll be having a visitor very soon, Julius," Nightmare informed him. "This visitor will be a very special one so try to look approachable. This one is not so bold as our dearest Alice." He smirked at his own banter. "I believe it's time for you to wake up."_

_Nightmare vanished and the dream world slowly faded around Julius. As he felt wakeness pulling at his consciousness, he unfolded his arms and looked at the bottle containing the pale pink liquid, holding it by the topper as though to examine it in some source of light. His hard, montonous eyes fell slightly. _

_"Alice..."_

_When the master of the only nuetral territory in the Country of Hearts woke at his desk, he found that the potion was indeed pressed into his palms. _

The fall was so long that the brunette began to wonder, as her scream died in her throat, if she would ever stop falling, if the world would ever stop rushing past her. Or maybe if she was in a dream again? The mirror, the voice, the fall, maybe it was all just a dream within her first dream. With this thought, she told herself to open her eyes. She found, however, that this task was easier said than done. It was like opening your eyes on a rapidly spinning ride at an amusement park. It felt so much safer to leave them closed, but you want to see what is blurring past you. Clenching her teeth and hoping her heart wouldn't burst through her chest, she forced her eyes opened. Immediately upon opening her eyes, she was blinded by a bright light that was coming rapidly toward her. Abruptly, she registered the light as the end of her fall. Whatever lied beyond that light...

A cry rippled from her vocals as the fear of making contact with hard ground road her anxieties. On an action that was the purest reflex, the covered her face and head with her arms and squeezed her eyes shut once more and waited for hard earth, icy water, whatever pain would meet her at the bottom. She felt a moment of warm and then there was no longer wind wiping her curls into unmanagable tangles. There was no longer that heavy, heartwrenching sense of falling deep in the pits of her stomach. All this was replaced by the feeling of chilled cobblestone resting again her font. Confusion lept through her. For a moment that thought that she was truly dead shocked through her like a single bolt of lightning but it was a thought quickly left to vanish in the corners of her mind. She rationalized that, if she were truly dead, that she would not feel that pain of her rapidly pounding heart in her chest.

Eyes still squeezed tightly shut, she shifted up onto her forearms, holding herself up slightly. She bit the inside of her lip to quell the anxiety she felt almost twisting inside of her. _Okay...Count to three, _she told herself, her mental voice reaching no octive higher than a whisper. She amended that she would open her eyes and take a look around, even if a quick one one three. Inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm her heartrate, she began counting.

_One..._Inhale.

_Two..._Exhale

_Three! _

She forced her eyes to snap open. Amazement replaced what was once fear as the sky-reaching tower filled her pupils. Rose pushed herself up onto her knees, her gaze glued entirely on the tall buildiong. Her heart raced for a new reason. She couldn't believe her eyes at all. Slowly, as though a speedy motion would make the world around her fall to pieces, she stood. She looked around, finding herself in the middle of what reminded her of the balcony of a storybook castle, though quite a bit larger. Her movements almost tentive, she found her way to the high-edge of the plateform. Taking in another deep breath, she dared look out over the plateform above the ground.

"Oh my-" she barely managed to squeak, her eyes widening and one hand coming to cover her agap mouth.

Far off, she could see a high-flying ferriswheel and the expansive arch of a large roller coaster. In a slight different direction she could make out a castle with a heart theme constructing its towers. Then, through the trees, she found mansion that held so many rooms, its windows made it glitter.

"I'm...in..." she stumbled. "I'm in the Country of Hearts. I'm really here..." It was just as her grandmother had describe. Three territories; The Heart Castle, the Hatter Estate, and the Amusement park, and in the center of it all-Rose turned back to the tower that dipped into the clouds-the Clock Tower. "I'm...really here."

The green-eyed girl reached into the pocket of her black dress, finding the folded letter tucked safely inside. Looking at the door that led into the tower, she gave the letter a squeeze. Absently, her other hand checked for the strap of her backpack. Finding it was still secure on her shoulder, her fingers wrapped around the straps, as though to ground herself. She swallowed hard. This was it. Once she walked found her way inside that door, things would start, just as her Grandmother had planned. She tried her very hardest not to think of what could possibly be waiting for her in this world that had made up almost every dream and nightmare she could recall throughout her life as she approached the door.

Stalling, caution got the better of her. Knowing of the confrontational nature of the inhabitants of this world, at least for the most part, her most current worry was that she would walk in on a fight with guns raised. She pressed her palm against the door-one hand still holding the window between her thumb and forefinger-then place her ear so that she could try to hear sounds from beyond the heavy wood door. It was...strangely quiet save for the ominous, unharmonized ticks and tocks.

"I-I guess no ones ho-!"

Rose was cut off by the door, very suddenly, opening. Due to her balance being dependant on the sturdy door, she fell foreward, the ear and palm that had been pressed against the dark wood finding the fabric of a well-tailored suit and a rythmatic ticking pulse against her ear. This was all momentary. With a cry of fright and startlement, she retreated back a step, her hands finding her jolted heart. She found herself face to face with a dark blue eyed man who, for only seconds, wore an expression of surprise before he crossed his arms, his face falling stern with the action.

"I-I, uh..." the brunette attempted to form a coherent thought, but failed in doing so.

For a single moment, Julius thought he saw Alice standing before him but the illusion was soon broken by the freckle-faced, ultimately timid girl before him. Mentally, he shook his head, annoyed with himself for holding onto his attachment with the last Foreigner for so long. He still found it hard to believe how deeply that girl had effected him. She had left a mark so deep on him that he wished, just as many other Wonderlanders wished, that Alice would return. And, he supposed, that single hope was the reason he saw Alice in this child for a split moment. Looking at her now, he realized how much younger she must have been. Her face was not yet sharpening with womanhood as Alice's had, not to mention the copper dust that danced across her nose and cheeks. Then her hair was so many shades darker than Alice's had been, more of a thick maple than a dark gold and this girl's hair fell in long curls past her shoulder blades rather than a straight cascade.

With the differences in mind, he was moments away from recieving the girl in a fashion similar to how he had recieved Alice, demanding she leave, but then the Mortician recalled the words of Nightmare about a special visitor. The Medicine of Hearts in his pocket felt a bit heavier than it had before.

"Who are you?" he asked, bluntly, breaking the silent stare down he was having with the young teen who, he observed, looked as ready to bolt as the Dormouse when the Cheshire Cat was present. "What are you doing here?" He was not prepared to make a fool of himself because of this girl, who may or may not be the Outside that Nightmare had hinted was coming, despite how likely it was, considering there was no other role for her to fill that he could bring to mind.

Rose had the words in her head, an explaintion-_My name is Rose Hargreaves. I'm Alice's granddaughter.-_but her lips refused the words. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to force the words past the back of her throat, but they refused to come. Under the scrutinizing glare of the cobalt eyed man, she chewed her bottom lip.

"Well?" Julius asked, his tone betraying his annoyance as he raised a single brow.

Flinching under his tone, Rose gave up on speaking for herself, on being brave, on betraying her introverted nature. Her eyes darting away from him, she pulled the folded letter out of her pocket and held it out with both her hands to to mind, almost as though she were offering it to him in echange for not harming her any further with his inapproachable demeanor. The man with long navy hair tied back in a ponytail looked from the girl to the letter, then back again once, before taking it from her. Once it was gone from her fingertips, the brunette pulled her hands back as though she were avoiding a burn. She folded her hands infront of her and weighted.

The Clock Master looked at the slightly wrinkled, folded, pale blue letter. He unfolded it and turned its face toward himself. In neat print and large lettering, _To the Role Holders, _was written. Julius wrinkled his brow. What was this? He turned the letter over again, finding that the lip was not properly sealed. It was tucked into the opening in order to keep it closed. After a moment of examination, he pulled the lip out of its place and pulled the parchment out of it. He unfolded the paper to find the same neat print as was on the face.

_Dear Role Holder, _

_ I'm fairly positive that the first to read this letter will be Julius but this letter is meant for all of you, if you are the same characters I remember fondly. I can't express how much I have missed each and everyone of you. There hasn't been a day to go by that I haven't thought about the Country of Hearts. The memories I made there with all of you made my years in my world joyful. Sometimes I wish I would have stayed with you, but don't worry. I lived a happy and forfilled life here in my world. Which brings me to the sad news I hesitate to tell you. If you ever cared anything for me at all, I know it will break your hearts and I'm sorry for that. My dear friends, if you are reading this, I, Alice Liddell, have died. _

Julius stalled in his reading, his eyes retracing that statement as he felt a stab at his heart as his tick skipped a tock.

_ After I left the Country of Hearts, I returned to the flow of my own world, with some difficulty mind you. Either way, I ended up getting married and having three sons. One of those sons gave me two beautiful grandchildren. I shared my memories with all of you to my children and grandchildren as bedtime stories, but only one truly believed in Wonderland, I think and she stands before you now. Yes, she is my granddaughter, but I won't tell you her name here. She is a very shy girl and easily frightened. She has trouble connecting when she meets someone new and I think that making her tell you her name will make getting over her introversion a bit easier. _

_ I lived a long life and age is what ultimately took me. When I felt death coming, I called out to Nightmare in my dreams, hoping that he could hear me outside the confines of the Country of Hearts or Clover. I had almost given up hope before he answered my call. I ask him to take my grandchild to Wonderland after I died. Though I cannot say that your world is the safest place, but I believe that, even if only my name makes it so, that the Country of Hearts will be kinder to her than my world could possibly be. Her shyness and antisocial disposition does not mix well in my world. I sincerely hope that, perhaps, you will help bring her out of her shell, if only a little bit. I want you all to become something special to her, as you did to me. She did not make friends in what would be known to her and I as "reality". Save for her distant older brother, I was very literally all the child had. Please, cushion my loss for her. Comfort her as I'm sure she will be willing to comfort you. She really is such a kind, good girl. _

_ I have insisted that she play the Game, you all know which one I'm talking about. Whether she says in Wonderland when it has ended, I left up to her. I don't know who will give her the Medicine of Hearts but after she takes it, she will become just as I was. I hope that she will learn from you, get stronger, and become a more confident girl when all is said and done. _

_ Please take care of her everyone. I'm counting on you. _

_ With the Sincerest Love, _

_ Alice Liddell Hargreaves_

Julius found tears constricting his throat and the feel of a meloncholy expression tracing his lips, but his tears did not meet him eyes. Calmly, though he felt an ache deep within himself, he folded the paper back in the fashion it has been before and placed it back inside the colors envolope. He folded it along the middle crease and handed it back to the girl, who had stole a glance at him before quickly looking away again. He tried to allow himself to soften a bit in the presence of the girl, taking to mind what Alice had written about her shy nature as he let out a sigh.

"Tell me your name," he stated, still holding out the envolope in a fashion the was leisure and, he hoped, lacking in the demeanor Nightmare had warned him against.

The freckle-faced girl looked back at the man, her big forest green eyes filled to the brim with uncertainty. She reached to take the letter back, hesitating before grasping the paper. "R-Rose..." she managed, putting the envolope back in her dress pocket as she looked back at the cobblestone plateform, her neck heating up with nervousness. "Rose Hargreaves."

Julius crossed his arms once again, giving a slight nod in recognition. "I am Julius Monrey, the owner of this clock tower."

"I know," Rose stated before she realized what she was saying. A blush highlighted her freckles. She glanced up at Julius to judge his reaction, her head sunk into her shoulders, wondering if she had been rude. "G-Grandma told me..."

Julius did not seem bothered by her statement, rather, he wondered how much he would actually need to explain to the girl. "Well, Rose, I think you should come in." He stepped aside from the door to allow her access into the tower.

Rose hesitated before walking inside. Gripping the strap of her backpack, she dully reminding herself that now there was no turning back, though she wasn't sure she could have turned back before her encounter with Julius. After the young girl enters, Julius closes the door and returns to his desk. He sits down and begins to work on another clock. Because he had been sleeping more often since Alice was in the Country of Hearts, he had found himself getting behind on his work far to often. Rose looked around the interior of the tower. Diagrams, notes, and many clocks lined the wall, some with awkward hands and faces. She looked over at Julius at his desk, which was cluttered with tools and parts as well as broken clocks. The owner of the tower, as though he felt her eyes on him, glanced up from his work at her. Rose stiffened.

He motioned to the empty seat conviently located infront of his desk. "Why don't you tell me what you know about this place?" It was not so much a request as a statement. His eyes falling away from the girl, he placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and continued working, heavily aware of the potion in his coat.

In response, Rose nodded and seated herself in the plain chair. She felt rigid in her seat, her eyes looking elsewhere in the room. Her cheeks felt heated as she struggled to begin. "W-Well..." she stumbled. "I'm an Outsider or Foreigner. I-I don't really have a residence in this place." She searched her mind for what her grandmother had told her, attempting to make sure that she didn't say something wrong and make herself look like a fool. "Um..." She wrapped her fists in her skirt, the black making her skin appear paler than it truly was. "Th-There are three territories that are currently caught up in a Civil War of sorts, a-a three way power struggle." Nervously, she pushed a curl behind her ear. "Those territories are Heart Castle, ruled by the Queen of Hearts, Vivaldi, the Hatter Estate, run by Blood Dupre, and the Amusement Park, managed by Mary Gowland." She cast a glance toward Julius, who hardly seemed to be listening to her as he peddled with his current project. "T-That is...unless their clocks were broken and they were replaced?"

Showing a sign that he was paying attention, Julius shook his head, never taking his eye off the clock he was fixing a gear into. "I don't believe a single Role Holder has been changed since Alice was here." Idlely, he wondered how Rose felt about his work. With some ache, he remembered how Alice had been accepting of it, despite her value of life.

The brunette nodded. "Oh, r-right." Her eyes found her lap again. "T-Then there is this place, the Clock Tower, which is nuetral in the power struggle.

The Moritician put down the clock he was tampering with and his screwdriver. He rested his elbows on his desk and folded his hands . Over them, he tried to make a proper judgement of Alice's granddaughter. This proved to be a difficult feat, considering her timidness. "And what do you know about the game?"

Rose lifted her head slightly to look at him, her thumb rubbing the uncomfortable, rough fabric of her dress. "Well, that is..." She could recall her grandmother often mentioning a game she had to play, but she knew little about it because Alice herself had a minimal understanding. "I-If I were to take the Medicine of Hearts, I would not be able to leave Wonderland. Um, I would have to refill the bottle by meeting and interacting with the residents of this country." She blinked, feeling as though she had forgotten something. "Oh, a-and time is random. It can be n-night time then noon in moments and everyone, i-in some way, has feelings for Foreigners." She looked up at Julius again, whose eyes were truly trained on her now. "R-Right."

He nodded, removing his glasses from his nose. He put them down on his desk then reached into his coat pocket, his fingers making contact with the cold glass of the heart stopper before wrapping themselves around the vial. He removed it from his pocket and placed it on the table infront of the girl. The girl gave a small not of surprised. She hadn't expected him to have it, but relief overtook her surprise. At least she wouldn't be forced the way her grandmother was, right?

"As I'm sure you've guess, this is the Medicine of Hearts. Whether you drink it or not, that's up to you." He removed his hand from the vial. It rolled once before becoming stationary on one face. "Your grandmother claims to insist you play, but I see no reason to force you." He picked up the clock and his screwdriver and began working again.

Rose looked at the vial as it was illuminated by the light outside that had shifted from morning to twilight in a single moment. Unsurely, she picked up the vial with two fingers, as though it threatened to turn to acid under her touch. Soon, it came to rest in her palm. She looked at the vial, contemplatingly. The Country of Hearts was a dangerous place. Did she really want to risk this game?


	4. Letter

_**Here's the letter that Rose carries with her. I decided to post it in its own chapter so that my readers can refer to it whenever other Role Holders are reading it or whenever they want!**_

_Dear Role Holder, _

_ I'm fairly positive that the first to read this letter will be Julius but this letter is meant for all of you, if you are the same characters I remember fondly. I can't express how much I have missed each and everyone of you. There hasn't been a day to go by that I haven't thought about the Country of Hearts. The memories I made there with all of you made my years in my world joyful. Sometimes I wish I would have stayed with you, but don't worry. I lived a happy and forfilled life here in my world. Which brings me to the sad news I hesitate to tell you. If you ever cared anything for me at all, I know it will break your hearts and I'm sorry for that. My dear friends, if you are reading this, I, Alice Liddell, have died. _

_ After I left the Country of Hearts, I returned to the flow of my own world, with some difficulty mind you. Either way, I ended up getting married and having three sons. One of those sons gave me two beautiful grandchildren. I shared my memories with all of you to my children and grandchildren as bedtime stories, but only one truly believed in Wonderland, I think and she stands before you now. Yes, she is my granddaughter, but I won't tell you her name here. She is a very shy girl and easily frightened. She has trouble connecting when she meets someone new and I think that making her tell you her name will make getting over her introversion a bit easier. _

_ I lived a long life and age is what ultimately took me. When I felt death coming, I called out to Nightmare in my dreams, hoping that he could hear me outside the confines of the Country of Hearts or Clover. I had almost given up hope before he answered my call. I ask him to take my grandchild to Wonderland after I died. Though I cannot say that your world is the safest place, but I believe that, even if only my name makes it so, that the Country of Hearts will be kinder to her than my world could possibly be. Her shyness and antisocial disposition does not mix well in my world. I sincerely hope that, perhaps, you will help bring her out of her shell, if only a little bit. I want you all to become something special to her, as you did to me. She did not make friends in what would be known to her and I as "reality". Save for her distant older brother, I was very literally all the child had. Please, cushion my loss for her. Comfort her as I'm sure she will be willing to comfort you. She really is such a kind, good girl. _

_ I have insisted that she play the Game, you all know which one I'm talking about. Whether she says in Wonderland when it has ended, I left up to her. I don't know who will give her the Medicine of Hearts but after she takes it, she will become just as I was. I hope that she will learn from you, get stronger, and become a more confident girl when all is said and done. _

_ Please take care of her everyone. I'm counting on you. _

_ With the Sincerest Love, _

_ Alice Liddell Hargreaves_


	5. Chapter 3

_**Last Time**_

_"Tell me your name."_

_"R-Rose. Rose Hargreaves."_

_"I am Julius Monrey, the owner of this clock tower."_

_"-G-Grandma told me..."_

_"-this is the Medicine of Hearts. Whether you drink it or not is up to you?"_

_Did she really want to risk this game?_

_**Chapter 3: Forest Knights**_

Rose closed her hand around the potion of hearts. This is what her grandmother wanted. Alice wanted her to play the game. Her grandmother would never put her in a situation that she didn't believe she could handle, right? Trying to rationalize the choice at hand in order to avoid indecision, she pulled the heart topper off the bottle, it giving a whispered "pip" as pressure inside it was released. This small noise caught a bit of the Clock Master's attention. He glanced up at the girl, wondering just what she would do. Alice had been very accurate about one thing and Nightmare had been just as correct. This girl was nothing like Alice. He had to remind himself not to compare the two in order to guess what she would end up choosing. Rose brought the vial to her nose and sniffed it once, finding that it had no smell. She found this to be somewhat relieving, considering she had always been iffy about medication. By the lack of scent, she could assume it was lacking in a thick taste, if it had a taste at all. _This is what Grandma wants, _she reminded herself, bringing the vial to her lips. After a sharp intake of breath, she down the liquid, flinching and her face scrunching up as bitterness she had not expected coated her tongue. She shook her head in an attempt to dispell the taste.

Julius put down his work once again, putting the now finished clock to the side, its ticking joining the many already present. He took a glance toward the large window. The time had changed once again. The sky was black and dotted with stars. He stood up.

"You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like," he stated, plainly. "I'll show you where you can sleep."

The brunette looked up at the man then nodded herself. "Th-Thank," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "I-I mean, thank you, Julius." She offered him a meek smile.

When Julius's expression remained completely stoic, Rose's smile fell. She recalled that her grandmother had informed her that Julius was a very closed off sort of person. She couldn't expect to breech his shell easily. She stood from the chair she had occupied. This seemed to be the que for Julius. He began leading her down the halls of the Clock Tower. They finally came to a door, which he opened for her.

"This was the room your grandmother stayed in," he mentioned. "I suppose it's yours now."

"Thank you..a-again," Rose told him.

The Mortician nodded curtly. "Get some rest."

With that, he returned to work, leaving Rose alone in the empty hallway. She looked after the man until his back disappeared around a corner. She almost didn't want to be left alone. Despite how...impassive Julius seemed, she almost would have rather been with him than alone in this strange place. She knew that she had to suck it up, however. No matter how much she would rather act like a five-year-old and refuse. The thirteen-year-old entered the room, closing the door behind her. She looked around the room, scanning it for any trace left from when her grandmother had existed bere. There was a disappointing lack-there-of. Rose could have guess that the room had been cleaned out long ago. All that was present in the room was a simply made bed and an empty beside table with two drawers.

Through with her examination, Rose approached the bed and let her small backpack slip off her shoulder onto the mattress. She pulled the letter out of her dress pocket and placed it on the nearby table. Then she opened up her backpack and pulled out her pale pink nightdress. She held it up by the shoulder of its long sleeves, shaking out the wrinkles that had formed. Then she laid it out on the bed, retying the white ribbon that had come undone around the collar. Then, the proceeded to take the three extra outfits out of her backpack. She stowed them away in the bedside table's top drawer. A hair brush and other "bathroom" supplies, including a few hair types and ribbons were placed in the second drawer along with her now empty backpack was placed in the second drawer. Before putting it away with her clothing, she looked at the potions vial. There was a drop settled at the bottom. She bit her lip then tucked it away under her dresses.

"The game...It's really happening," she whispered to herself.

She disrobed herself of her depressing funeral dress, glad to be rid of the itchy fabric. It was folded small as she possibly could and stuffed it into the back of the top drawer. Then she closed the door and retrieved her night dress. She pulled it over her head, the ruffled hem stopping at her knees. She slipped off her plain black flats and placed herself underneath the blankets. Laying in the side that faced the door, she stared into the darkness of the room, anxiety twisting her stomach. She was really in the Country of Hearts, the land of her grandmother's adventures. Who knew what would await her. Who knew how she would be recieved. It took a what seemed like hours, if this world had hours, before her eyes felt heavy and closed.

_Rose was surprised to find herself levitating in a void that would have reminded her of of a child's finger painting if it were for the way the colors melded together, shifted, and spiraled. Oddly enough, the world did not disturb her the way a voice in the back of her mind barely whispered. She looked around the void, finding a dull sense of nothing within it. There was no a soul or object save for the shifting colors. Strangely, however, she didn't feel alone. Her neck felt warm with the sense that someone else existed here in this place. _

_"Hello...?" she called, her voice retaining a strange echo. "Is anyone else here?" She felt something or someone blow on the back of her neck. She gave a scream of fright, jumping several feet into th air despite the lack of a floor to stand on. In the same motion, she turned a 180, now facing a shiver haired man, who was smiling behind his hand. Rose heaved air back into her lungs, grasping at her heart with one hand. _

_"It's nice to finally meet you, Rose," the man greeted. "In person, anyway."_

_"N-Nightmare Gottschalk?" Rose managed to utter her heart slowed. _

_Nightmare smirked, playfully. "That's right. I'm Nightmare. I'm a dream demon, the embodiment of bad dreams, but you knew that already."_

_Rose nodded, slowly. "Gr-Grandma said...She t-told me you'd say that..." Her head sunk into her shoulder. "Um, b-but she told me not to...believe it."_

_"I'm not surprised," the Incubus chuckled. _

_"I-I," Rose stumbled. "Thank you for bringing me here, l-like Grandma wanted." _

_Nightmare's smirk turned into a meloncholy smile. He floated to the girl and rubbed the top of her head. Rose's freckles were highlighted by the action. "Most of the Role Holder's here would do anything for Alice," he informed her. He put the hand that had felt her hair into one pocket. "That doesn't mean you are safe in this world, however. Though lasting impressions will remain from your grandmother, soon the people here will turn there attention to you and only you." _

_The brunette looked up into the others brown eyes, disbelief riding on her features. Becoming meloncholy herself, she averted her gaze off into the melding colors of the void. The thought of replacing her grandmother weighed heavily upon her but more than that, she just knew that the Wonderlanders would compare her to Alice. They would look for Alice in her and they wouldn't find her._

_Nightmare sensed her negative thoughts radiating off her mind. With his index finger, he turned the girl's eyes back to him. "Everyone misses Alice," he told her, "and yes, most will look at you and try and find Alice but I have no doubt that, once they get to know you, they'll like you just as much." He placed that hand in his other pocket. _

_Rose smiled meekly. "T-Thank you...for reassuring me." _

_Nightmare's smile quirked at one corner. "I promised your grandmother that you would be taken care of here and if keeping your spirits up helps in that matter, then I'm keeping my promise," He cocked his head. "but now it's time for you to wake up, Rose." _

_With those knowing words, Rose gained that odd sense of wakeness pulling her away from the serenity of closed eyes. Her heart lerched as she found she had one more thing to say. Before her, Nightmare seemed to be blurring and disappearing. "W-Wait! W-Will they forget how they felt about Alice?"_

_She recieved no answer. The dreamworld vanished._

Light disturbed the darkness behind Rose's closed eyes. She squeezed her eyes against it, covering the closed orbs with her arms, but it was to late. Wakeness clouded her ability to sleep long. She frowned and sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She yawned as she lowered her hands into her lap. Habitually she looked outside, expecting to just barely see dawn peeking over the horizon line. Surprise hit her when she realized the sun was at its high point in the sky.

"W-Wh-Oh!"

She shook her head, reminding herself that she was in the Country of Hearts, where time was disorientingly random. She wondered how long she had really slept as she sleeped out from under the covers, her feet finding the cold stone floor. She almost had the urge to retreat back under the covers, but restrained herself. Standing, she opened the top drawer of her nightstand and pulled out the top most dress. She laid it out on the bed. It wasn't an extraordinary thing. It had a knee-length, pleated skirt. The color was a mint green, save for the white ribbons that lined the hm, collar, and short sleeves as well as the one that wrapped around her middle and tied in the back. She removed her night dress and folded it. She placed it ontop of her bedside table for the next night. Then, she adorned the fresh dress, horribly glad that she was no trapped in that black dress that represented all that she had lost in her world. She reached behind her and tied the ribbon in the back the best she could. Then she retrieved her brush. She sat down on the bed and ran the brush through her now tangled curls. Once the brown waves were free of tangles, she tied it into a ponytail that came over her left shoulder and also added a white ribbon then deemed herself finished. She slipped on her shoes and picked up the letter from her table. She looked at it for a moment before tucking it into her pocket.

Letting off another yawn, she opened her new bedroom's door and peeked out into the hall. The Clock Tower felt eerily empty. She amended that it would take some getting used to. Inhaling to keep herself from creating an anxiety that was unpresidented, she edge out of the room, closing the door behind her. She followed the halls back to the room where, it seemed, Julius did his work. When she found the room again, she also found that the Clock Master was sleeping at an awkward angle, his head against his desk. Clearly, he had fallen asleep while working. Rose bit her lip, unsure if she should wake him up, considering her grandmother had often stated that she worried for Julius without her there. Apparently he didn't eat or sleep the way he should. She retreated back down the hall, peeking into the different rooms as she past.

"Grandma said that she made sure he ate well and made him coffee so..." she whispered to herself to fill the silence and deafening ticking and ticking, "that must mean there is a kitchen somewhere."

She picked into one room then had to double take. The room was a fairly empty one, all things considered, but it was the room she was looking for, judging by the stove, cabinettes, fridge, and other mis. things. She pushed the door open to enter. She decided that she would make something ready for when Julius woke up, as a more sincere thank you for letting her stay. She started out with coffee, glad to find that there was a jar of ground coffee beans and creamer right beside the machine. She started up the machine with the necessary additives before moving to the fridge, which she found was to be quite...lacking. She did find two eggs and some milk, though she checked the milk twice for its experation date. With that, she managed to assemble toast and jam with scrambled eggs. She even found a plate after climbing onto a chair. As she poured the coffee into a mug,-Oddly he had what seemed to be fifty cups and maybe six plates-she comtemplated eating herself. Her stomach knotted at the thought. She supposed she was just to uncomfortable in her envirnment to eat quite yet. She took a guess about how much coffee and creamer by how much her grandmother liked; Three teaspoons of sugar and a tablespoon of creamer.

She picked up the plate in one hand and the handle of the mug with the other. Biting her lip as the coffee sloshed slightly, she made her way carefully back down the hall. She prided herself on making it all the way to Julius's study without spilling a drop or worse. Julius, it seemed, was still asleep when she arrived. She made her way to his desk, slowly, fearing the floor, despite it being made of stone, would creak and wake him up. Pushing a few things aside, she placed the mug and plate down on a clear space. After she put them down, her eyes trailed the desk for paper and pen. There was a random pad and pencil on the cluttered desk. She wrote a note on it.

_Julius,_

_Thank you for letting me stay at the Clock Tower. I hope that the breakfast is to your liking. Sorry it isn't much. I'm going to explore the Country of Hearts. Grandma said that it would be best if I met everyone as soon as possible so I would be familiar with everyone. I'll be back the next time it is night out. _

_ Rose_

She placed the pencil down and put the pad by the mug. She hoped the coffee wouldn't be too cold by the time he woke up but still she could not bring herself to wake him up. Checking for the letter to be sure it was handy in her pocket, she crept out of the Clock Tower. Closing the heavy door behind her gently, despite how far down she was from where the Mortician slept. Now cut off from the tower's safety, being as it was the only place familiar to her at current, she looked out into the woods that expanded before her, reaching out its branches like a welcoming monster. What would be in those woods? Rose couldn't recall if her mother had ever told her if there were bears or wolves living in the Country of Hearts. She swallowed, hard, crossing her arms.

"C-Come on, Rosie," she assured herself. "You can do it. Just remember the way back to the Clock Tower and you'll be perfectly fine." She began taking edgy steps forward. "No need to be afraid."

Soon, she had entered the trees, her steps becoming more at ease and rythmatic. As she trekked on, she looked at the mossy floor and green leafed trees. It was quiet, save for birds singing. It was almost relaxing. Rose chastized herself for being fearful. It was the kind of forest that reminded her of a fairytale. Perhaps the kind of place faeries would live, if there had been more flowers rather than mushrooms. She let herself fall at-ease enough to unfold her arms and loosen her muscle, which had been ready to spring into flight at a moments notice. She laughed to herself.

"See, nothing to worry about," she told herself in order to fill the lonely walk. "Grandma walked through these woods so many times before, she would have known if there were dangerous animals lying in wait, right?"

She continued walking. She didn't quite know where she would end up but she was sure she could make it back to the Clock Tower, considering she hadn't made a single turn. looking up into the canopy of trees, she brought to mind what she had seen from the high up, Clock Tower plateform. Going straight, she might end up at the Heart Castle. That sounded about right. Suddenly, there was a crack to her left. Rose froze midstep as another crack sounded. Though she did not turn her head, her eyes darted to the side of her that the found originated. Her muscles tightened as the sound made its presence known once again, much closer this time. Just as Rose turned her head, birds erupted from where they had been singing, giving screeching calls. This shocked Rose into a dead sprint, a scream dying in her wake.

Curls wiping into knots behind her as she ran, the forest blurring past her as she raced through the trees. A quiet rationality told her that it would be wise to take a glance over her shoulder and see if she was even been pursued by the phantom predator but fear screamed that if she looked back she would slow down. Besides, she had to be outside this forest soon. It couldn't go on forever. Once she was beyond the fingers of the trees she'd be much more at ease. She amended that she wouldn't stop until she reached the end of the tree long. But how long would that be?! She could already feel her limit. No one could ever accuse her of being a good runner.

Then, abruptly, a two-legged figure stepped out of the brushes right in Rose's raging path. With a yelp, she attempted to stop but was unable to do so in time. She ran into the stout figure and then found her backside making a pleasant aquaintenceship with the ground. Rubbing her forehead and panting, the brunette shifted onto her knees. A gloved hand wrapped around her upper arm and pulled her back to her feet.

"Careful there," the figure that had stumbled in her path said. "What's your hurry?"

Rose's eyes widened and her pants died in her throat as she looked up at the man dressed in a red trenchcoat and a sword on his hip. She, characteristicly, found herself at a loss for words as she was met with the new face. She knew, of course, that he was one of the men from her grandmother's stories by his appearance but none-the-less. The man wrinkled his brow at the girl, looking at her curiously at her. This expression only lasted a moment before a broadsmile that read "Happy Disposition" overtook his features.

"What? Did I scare you?" he asked, playfully.

"W-Um..." Rose bit the inside of her bottom lip, her hand finding the letter in her dress pocket. She pulled it out of her pocket and held it out to the red-clad man.

The hand looked at the pale blue envolope being held out to him. "Hm?" he questioned. "Why would you have a letter for me?"

Nevertheless, he took the letter from the girl, who retracted her hand and began toying with her side ponytail, pulling it back over her shoulder. He saw the bold words that addressed to whom the letter was meant for. Despite wearing an endless smile, he felt curiosity edging his vision. He opened the envolope and pulled out the paper inside. After upfolding the parchment, his eyes traced over the letter. His smile didn't fade, but he fought to keep the disposition that held from fading. So Alice subcumbed, huh? He folded the letter back up, taking in this girl that stood before him like a cornered squirrel. Nothing like Alice at a mere glance.

"So, you're Alice's little girl," he mused. "I'm Ace, the Knight of Hearts." He ignoring a dull sense of jealousy he held toward the deceased Alice. Death would be the ultimate way to remove himself from his role, a death where he would not just be replaced. He handed back the letter and envolope. "What's your name?"

The girl raised her eyes to the Knight. She swallowed, then opened her mouth. "I-I'm...My name is R-Rose."

Ace placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rose couldn't help but let her eyes drift to the sword before darting back to the trees to her left. "So, where'ya headed?" he asked.

The freckle face didn't have an answer to give, considering she didn't know herself, but she felt compelled to say something. "I-I think Heart Castle is this way...?" she more questioned than asked.

Ace shook his head. "You're going the wrong way," he claimed. "How about I show you the way?"

Rose blinked. "Um..." She didn't want to be rude, but..."Grandma said that...w-well, you don't have the best sense of...direction," she told him, meekly.

The knight looked at her for a moment before he started to laugh. "Don't worry!" He grabbed her hand without warning. "My directional sense has gotten thousands of times better since Alice was here. I'll get us to the Heart Castle in no time!" He winked at her. "In fact...I know a short cut!"

"B-But-!"

Without a by-your-leave, he pulled Rose along, despite her stumbled, incoherent protests. He lead the girl off the path and into the underbrush. Rose was soon to give up on her attempts to reason, so she fell silent, wondering if he still carried camping equipment with him.

**Thank you all once again for favoriting, following, and commenting. ^ - ^ You've all made me quite happy! 3 I hope I'm working with the characters I've mentioned so far well. I welcome your critique on how I'm doing~! I must apologize for this chapter. Building up to meeting with Ace, I felt a little "blocked", if you catch my drift. Forgive me!**


	6. Chapter 4

_**Last Time**_

_"The game...It's really happening."_

_"Everyone misses Alice-" _

_"W-Will they forget how they felt about Alice?"_

_"So you're Alice's little girl.-Where'ya headed?"_

_"I-I think Heart Castle is this way...?"_

_"You're going the wrong way. How about I show you the way?"_

_"Grandma said that...w-well, you don't have the best sense of...direction."_

_**Chapter 4: Heights**_

It didn't take long for Rose to realize that she was lost, completely. The knight had taken them down so many twists and turns that there was no way she could memorize them all. She was almost entirely positive that she would never find her way back to the Clock Tower. It took quite a bit to keep the worry of being lost forever from bubbling to the surface as she was led along by the hand. She kept an ill-informed hope that Ace's sense of direction had really improved since her grandmother had gotten lost on his so-called shortcuts. They had been walking for what Rose was sure had been hours. Her ankles were beginning to ache.

"U-Um...Ace?" she started, her voice struggling above a whisper. "Are you...s-sure you know the way?"

The grinning knight looked back at the girl he had captive by the limp hand and nodded. "Of course I do, Rose! It should be only a few more yards."

_That's...what he said the last time I ask..._her inner voice groaned. She chewed on her inner lip. What would she do if the time changed to night suddenly? She had to keep her promise to Julius. She wouldn't want him to worry. The more they lost they seemed to become, however, the more anxious she became under the pressure of that promise. The last thing she needed was to make someone angry with her after being in the country for less than a day.

She watched the ground as they walked, counting her steps and noting how the trail was only a path because Ace parted it as he march on infront of her. Her eyes darted up when, faintly, she held music. Specifically, music one might hear when riding a merry-goround. She listened closer to be sure she was not mistaken. Her brow furrowed as the tune repeated and grew louder. Rose raised her eyes from the ground, looking at Ace's back. It seemed that he had not heard the music himself or he was ignoring it. Though, she didn't know how he could. The melody's volume just grew as they grew walked on.

"Are y-you sure this isn't the way to the Amusement Park?" Rose asked the knight who strutted with self-confidence.

Ace chuckled as though he still could not hear the music and Rose had just stated something so impossible it was amusing. "Of course not! Heart Castle is this way for sure!"

As if the territory was qued to appear, Ace pushed stepped through the final growth of the woods, Rose forced to trail on after him, a curtain rose to reveal a colorful archway, backed by a towering ferriswheel and a spiraling height of rollercoaster tracks among many other, colorful things. Ace released her hand in order to scratch his head.

"Well," he blinked, "I guess my sense of direction hasn't gotten much better after all."

The brunette stepped out from behind the knight, looking at the park with intrigued eyes. She had never seen a real amusement park before, but she was positive this one was the most grand of any that ever existed. It was so alive and colorful. She could hear the cries of laughter and fright from the rides melding in with the repitative tune. The place seemed to have a life of its own spiraling off of it and wrapping around her. It filled her with excitement that almost made her want to giggle.

"Ace, what the hell are you doing here?" a voice stated from behind the two. Rose stiffened as a quiver traveled up the entirity of her back. Ace had already turned to meet the voice. Slowly, Rose turned as well, but only partially, pushing a curl that had escaped her hair tie back behind her ear. The owner of the voice, a male with the attire something of goth and cat ears looked at her the moment she turned, his ears twitching quizzically. "And who's the girl?"

Ignoring the cat boy's first question entirely, Ace said to Rose, "Why don't you show him that note of yours?"

"Oh, uh..." Rose stumbled. She reached into her pocket and pulled the envolope out once again. She handed it to the pink hued boy that stood in the treeline. He, she had concluded before coming to Wonderland, would be the easiest to recognize, considering there was no other character with quite his style. She was pretty positive he played the role of the Cheshire Cat.

The punk attired cat looked from the knight, to the girl, to the letter, then back at the girl. He took the envolope from her hand. Without bothering to looking at whose name was actually on it, he opened it and pulled out the paper inside. His ears perked and his tail happily began to sway in the first few sentences, realizing that the author to the letter could only be one person but, the very moment he was confirmed, his expression began to fall, animated by how his ears slowly placed themselves flat on his head. His tail flicked before falling still, a pain shrouding the clock in his chest. He looked at the girl, who had found something interesting in the grass, when as he folded the letter and placed it back in its envolope. He was all but relieved to see no trace of Alice, no even a slight bit of her appearance, on the girl. He cleared his throat, his ears perking back up at a leisure standard. He held the letter back out to the girl.

"The names Boris Airay, and you are?" he grinned, pushing past his personal sorrows.

She raised her attention from the ground, retrieving the letter from the Cheshire Cat. She place it back in her pocket. "M-My name is Rose," she told him. "Um...h-how do you do?"

Boris laughed at her final sentence. "Nice to meet you, Rose."

Rose nodded. "T-The pleasures all mine."

Boris put one hand on his hip, leaning back as he peered at the girl with the golden eye that was not covered by his hair. "So, Rose, what puts you up then sets you down but lets you see the world around?"

The girl cocked her head. "A riddle?" Her grandmother had mentioned the Cheshire's love for riddling but she had not expected one to be popped on her so soon.

The cat's tail flicked with something of delight, despite the ache he had pushed to the far reaches of his mind. "I love riddles," he informed her. "So, do you know the answer?"

She thought about it. _What puts you up...then sets you down but lets you see the world around...? _She came up with a few ideas, but the answers were all flawed. She shook her head, slowly. "S-Sorry, I have no idea."

"The answer is..." Boris paused for dramatic effect, "a ferris wheel!" His lips caught a broad grin. "You want to go for a ride?"

In a heartbeat, Rose opened her lips to release an abrupt yes, excited by the idea to the point of giddiness-She had never ridden on anything more than a merry-go-round-but her agreement died in her throat when Ace clamped a hand on each of her shoulders, pouting.

"Hey now!" he protested. "I'm spending time with the new Outsider."

Boris's ear twitched with annoyance. "Don't you have something to do? Some path to demoralize?"

"That's right!" Ace's memory seemed to be triggered suddenly. To animate this, his hand covered part of his face. "I was headed for the Clock Tower before meeting with little Rosie miss here."

"I'm sure your visit was very important," Boris exaggerated.

"We should go camping next time," he told the girl, grinning at her. Rose only nodded, very sure that she did not want to be caught alone in a tent with him. Without another statement, Ace marched off into the forest again, headed in a new direction compared to where they had com out at.

"You idiot knight," Boris started. "You're going the wrong way!"

Ace called back. "It's a short cut!" then vanished in the foiliage.

Boris sighed, shaking his head at the retreating male then his attention back to the girl,who was also watching the Knight of Hearts disappear. "So, ever been to an amusement park before?"

Rose looked back at the punk attired boy, shaking her head. "N-No, but I've always wanted too."

Boris grinned at the girl. "Well, I garentee this will be the best park you ever go to." He started walking toward the archway that marked the entrance. He glanced once over the boa that hung over his shoulders to be sure she was following. "Come on."

Prodded, Rose put a kick in her step to catch up with the older boy. As soon as she stepped into the Amusement Park, it was like a wave of childish glee sparked through her. There were so many colors and attractions. There were so many noises forming in a tonedeaf symphony that wasn't entirely unpleasant. It just made the place seem more filled with life. Rose was sure she had never felt so much happiness in one singular place.

The Cheshire Cat had stolen a glance at the brunette and smiled at the delight that traced the features of Alice's granddaughter. "You say you've never been to an amusement park before." He turned to the girl, who snapped to attention, blushing with embarrassment from being pulled out of something similar to a daydream. "Have ever ridden a roller coaster at least?"

The thirteen-year-old shook her head. "No, I-I haven't." The admission was met with a look of appalling from Boris, as though he had never heard anything so crazy. Meekly, Rose added, "I-Is that a...bad thing?"

The Cheshire slapped a hand over his eyes. "How could Alice deprive you like that!" he declared. Clearly, the appalling had not been placed toward Rose at all. "Didn't I teach her anything?" _Did she not have fun here or something? _he inputted mentally. He removed his hand from his eyes and took the brunette's hand. "We can cure this. How about we ride a coaster first?"

Rose's emerald eyes immediately fell on the high-rising curve of a far off coaster. The evolutionary fear of falling made her eyes widen as she watched a train of cars climb the rise and then plummet down from its peek. She shivered. She chewed her bottom lip, looking at Boris, who appeared all to excited.

"A-Are you..." She cleared her throat as her voice threatened to squeak. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Psh," the cat rolled his eyes. "Of course it's safe. Your granny,"-He got a sick pleasure out of calling Alice 'granny'.-"and I would ride them together all the time." Seeing the girl was still nervous as she rung her hands, flushed by her own fears, he offered her a softer version of his trademark grin. "You'll be fine, Rose," he assured her, pulling her to a walk along-side him. "We'll even start small!"

Still entirely uncertain, Rose only managed a shrug. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but trust the Cheshire Cat. In truth, she couldn't help but, on some degree, trust every single Role Holder in the Country of Hearts simply because her grandmother had trusted them fully. Well, most of them. Several of them came with their own specific warnings. Ace, for example, according to Alice, was not as "all-smiles" as he appeared and, if the land were to shift to the Country of Clover, she was to stick to pick someone and stick to them to avoid possibly being left alone with the knight who hated his place in this world.

Boris led her to the smallest roller coaster in the park but, by no means, was it what Rose would categorize as small. It has a loop for crying out loud! Rose bit her lip, swallowing a lump that was forming in the back of her throat as Boris led her to the front of the line, past the faceless people. Rose looked at them as they passed, feeling only slightly disturbed even if she had expected to see them. Either way, she could hardly focus on her feeling of disturbia as her eyes kept trailing back to the monster that she was being dragged onto.

"A-Are you really, really sure this is safe?" Rose asked again.

Boris chuckled. "Don't worry so much."

He mounted the front car of the ride and then helped Rose in. He helped make sure the safety belt and rail was secure as other faceless characters boarded the ride. Then, he relax, one arm laying on the side and the other resting behind Rose's neck. Rose, on the other hand, sat rigidly, her fist grasping the safety railing tightly. As the ride jolted to a start, she had to hold her breath so to restrain a yelp. Her hold on the railing turned white knuckled as they began up the first arch of the right. Fear clenched her heart as she made a point of not peering down, but the ride gave her no choice. The car stalled at the top of the arch, slowling edging down before-Rose screamed at the very top of her lungs as the coaster shot down the arch, immediately hitting the loop. She was so very sure she was going to fall. Boris laughed at her side. Her gut lerching at every turn, incline, and decline, Rose squeezed her eyes shut, sinking in her seat, waiting for the ride to be over.

What seemed like hours later, Boris tapped on her shoulder. It was only then that she realized the ride had gone ominously still, that wind was no longer wiping her ponytail out of shape. Slowly, she opened her eyes, peeking at Boris. He was leaning one elbow against the safety rail, his cheek resting in his palm. He wore an amused smile as he watched the frazzled girl.

"It's over," he informed her, teasingly. "You can let go."

Rose was abruptly aware of the pain in her hands from grasping for dear life. She opened her hands, removing the from the bar. Then, she rubbed her hand, trembling as the rush lasted. She wondered if her heart would ever beat normally again. Boris undid his seat belt and unlocked the safety bar. Rose's trembling hands attempted to undo her belt, succeeding only after Boris had gotten out of the car. He came around to her side of the ride and offered her a hand getting out. She gladly took the help. She stumbled a bit when her feet felt the plateform. If it weren't for Boris's form, she would have met the floor, she was sure. She didn't at all have her land legs. Frowning, the Cheshire helped her stand normally, eyeing her for any obvious ailments.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Rose gave a slow nod. "I-I...Just a little shaken," she admitted, embarrassment giving her neck a warm kiss.

Boris scratched his cheek, right under the triangular tattoo under his eye. "Sorry. Maybe we should have started with a different ride."

"I-It's okay. It was...kind of fun," she tried to assure.

The older boy smiled at her attempt, but he didn't believe her for a moment. He helped her to the nearest bench, refusing to let her stand quite on her own. He was scolding himself, remembering what Alice had said in her letter. Alice had asked that the Role Holders take care of her granddaughter. He was pretty sure that her face planting would count. He made her sit down on the bench.

"I'll go get you something to drink," he told her. "You just weight here."

"Y-you don't have to do that," Rose protested. "I'm fine now, really."

He blew off her statement. "Don't worry about it. Be back in a sec."

He disappeared into the crowd of faceless people, leaving Rose all alone. She leaned back on the bench, trying to push aside the fact she was alone in the very populated Amusement Park. He said he'd be back soon, so she should be alright. Besides, did kidnappings really happen in Wonderland? She highly doubted it. What would the faceless have to gain from kidnapping anyone? She felt her hair, finding that a majority of it was no longer in her ponytail. She took out the ribbon and hair tie, then making a lame attempt at putting the ponytail back in place. She was fairly certain it was still a mess, so she didn't even make an attemp at putting the ribbon back in. Rather, she tied it on her wrist, using her teeth to finish the knot.

It was just as she folded her hands to begin twiddling with her thumbs that a voice was directed at her. "Well, who are you, little lady?" Rose turned her attention to find a man wearing a yellow coat. "Haven't seen you around here before. Did one of the other Role Holders finally kick the bucket?"

It clicked immediately in Rose's mind who the man was. He, like Boris, had unmistakable characteristics about him. Really, all the Role Holders did. The thirteen-year-old started to open her mouth to say something only to immediately close her mouth again without uttering a sound. She already felt the words sticking in her throat. Rather, she reached in her pocket and retrieved her grandmother's letter. She stood from the bench, carefully, then held the letter out to the man.

Without hesitation, he took it from here. "What's this?"

He opened the letter and pulled out the paper inside. His eyes scrolled the page, taking in the words, a frown forming on his expression. At the end, he sighs. He puts the paper back in the pale blue envolope and handed it back to the girl, who was picking at her nails, looking everywhere but him until the letter his held out. She took the letter back from him and put it back in the pocket of her pretty green dress.

"That's unfortunate, truly," he sympathized. "You can call me Gowland, little lady. What's your name?"

"I'm...I'm Rose," she informed him with a curteous nod.

"Well, Rose." Gowland pulled a violin and bow from very literally no where. Rose's eyes widened. "Let me give you a proper welcome!"

Realizing what was about to happen, one of her grandmother's most avid warnings echoing in her head, Rose tried, "That's no necessa-Gah!"

It was to late. Gowland scrapped his bow across the untuned strings of the insturment. It cried out in torment as he started to play. Rose covered her ears as quickly as she could to sheild herself from the ungodly sound. She hardly believed it was possible to make such an awful noise. She was surprised that the poor violin wasn't bleeding profusely from every niche in its wooden surface. She was even more surprised that her ears weren't bleeding through her fingers. Thankfully, a gunshot echoed past Gowlands head, causing the tormenting sound to die in a single note. Rose froze when the bullet whizzed by one of the hands that protected her ears. She managed to slowly remove the cover.

"Oi!" Boris shouted, one hand covering one of his ears while the other held a fushia gun. He lowered the gun, annoyance pinned on the older man. "Don't scare her off already, Old Man."

Gowland gapped disdainfully. "I was not scaring her off!" he claimed. "I was merely playing a welcome symphony for Alice's dear granddaughter."

Boris past the "Old Man", coming to stand infront of Rose. "Yeah, yeah. How many times do I have to tell you that your "music" could wake the dead?" He hand Rose a can that appeared to have strawberry soda of some kind inside. "Here you go."

"Th-thank you very much," she nodded thankfully.

"Rose, Dear, you didn't think my music was bad, did you?" Gowland asked.

Rose paled. "W-Well...That is...I-I-" As though luck was out to save her soul, night fell suddenly over the Amusement Park. "O-Oh. I have to get back!"

The Cheshire cocked her head. "Back where?"

"The Clock Tower," she replied. "I-I promised Julius I would be back during the night span. I would h-hate for him to worry." She had made a move to turn when she remembered. She covered his eyes with one hand, the other holding the can of soda. She whined. "I-I don't even know how to get back..."

"I'll show you the way," Boris told her. Then he gained a playful smirk. "On the condition that you stay here at the Amusement Park one night."

"I would sincerely appreciate it," Rose told him, relieved. She didn't want to roam the woods at night either.

Still wearing he smirked, the Cheshire shook his head. "You've gotta promise."

The brunette nodded. "I-I promise."

"Cool," he turned to the Amusement Park's respective owner, he looked to be pouting. "See ya, Old Man. I'll be escorting this lady."

Gowland crossed his arms. "Make sure you get her home safely and behave yourself."

Boris gave a two-finger wave. "Can do."

With a hand between Rose's shoulderblades, he started leading her out of the park. Rose looked over her shoulder and called to Gowland. "I-It was nice to meet you."

The disappointed, scowling man smiled at that. "Come back now!"

**So, another chapter~! 3 Thank you all for your support!**

**I'm still welcoming ideas, comments, and reviews from everyone. Am I handling the characters well? I'm trying to considering there personalities as well as how Alice's presence effected them when she was in the Country of Hearts.**

**Even though we haven't meet all the Role Holders yet, I would like to hear from everyone. Who do you think Rose should end up with? :}**


	7. Chapter 45

_**Last Time**_

_Are y-you sure this isn't the way the the Amusement Park?_

_Of course not! Heart Castle is this way for sure!_

_Ace, what the hell are you doing here?_

_Why don't you show him that note of yours?_

_So, Rose, what puts you up but sets you down but lets you see the world around?_

_A riddle?_

_**Chapter 4.5: Lasting Effects**_

The strawberry soda that Boris has given her at the Amusement Park was now an empty can as the two made their way through the dark forest. Rose could hardly see an a yard infront of her. She was all to glad that the older boy had insisted on hanging onto her hand to keep her from "getting lost". Even still, the dark trek made her feel very...helpless to say the least. It reminded her how truly defenseless she was in this world, even with her grandmother's blessing.

"So," Boris broke the deafened silence that had come between them soon after leaving the Park. "Where are you planning to visit next?"

"U-Uh...well," Rose bite her bottom lip, thoughtfully. "W-Where ever I end up...? I'm...still not sure how to find my way around."

The cat glanced over his shoulder at her. The girl could barely make out the movement in the dark. "Who have you met so far?"

"Nightmare, Julius, Ace, you, and Gowland," she replied. "I-I think this would be considered my first full day."

She thought she saw him pull a cat-like smirk. Something of him was happy that he had been one of the first to meet the granddaughter of the Outsider he and many others missed dearly. There conversation fell off again as Boris faced foreward. They continued on in the night but soon lights from the Clock Tower's high windows came into view. Just as soon, they made it to the front door of the Tower.

"Th-Thank you so much for leading me all this way," Rose told him sincerely. "I'm s-sorry for the trouble."

Boris let go of her hand and put both of his in his pockets. "It wasn't any trouble," he assured her. After a moment of thought, he added, "How about I pick you up tomorrow? I told the Twins we'd play tomorrow so it'd be a good time for you to see the Hatter Mansion."

The brunette smiled, the thought of not taking on the unknown woods alone again to bright to ignore. "I...I would be-" She shook her head. "That'd be really, really great, B-Boris. T-thank you."

The cat returned the smile. "Cool. See you tomorrow." Then he turned and began retreating into the forest.

Rose waved. "S-See you!"

After the Cheshire Cat was beyond her sight, Rose went inside the Clock Tower. She climbed the stairs until she made it to Julius's studies. Julius was awake now, unsurprisingly, working on another clock. It seemed that more had piled on her desk since she left. What else was on his desk, however, elated her. The plate and coffee cup she had set up for him that morning were both empty on the corner. She couldn't help but smile. The Mortician glanced up when she closed the room door. He glanced back down and went back to peddling on the clock he was currently replacing the face of.

"62," he stated, monotonously.

Rose blinked. "W-What?"

"I used to give grades to Alice about her coffee," Julius amended. "I graded yours at a 62."

The brunnette approached the desk and picked up the plate and mug. "I-I'm sorry...I'll do better."

He didn't seem to have an affect under her claim. Rather, he asked, "Where did you go?"

Though there was no clear indication, Rose thought that, perhaps, she felt concern coming from him for a single moment. "The Amusement Park," she replied.

"I see," he responded, half-heartedly.

"U-Um..." she stumbled. As her grandmother had told her, she would have to learn how to understand the different Role Holder's quirks. "Boris said h-he would take me to the Hatter Mansion tomorrow."

This statement made Julius pause in his work. It took him a silent moment to get his work back in motion. "Be careful," he almost muttered. "Those people are dangerous."

She nodded. "I-I will. Um, I'm going to clean up these dishes th-then get some sleep."

The Mortician merely gave an attentive nod. "Good night, Rose."

She, to, nodded. "Good night, Julius."

She left him study and went to the room bleek room that was the kitchen. She washed the coffee pop, mug, and plate, as well as all else she had used to make the Clock Master breakfast that morning. After they were put away, she went to her room and put her letter on the bedside table. Then she changed from her dress to her nightdress. She folded the pale green dress away into the drawer. She crawled under the covers.

Listening to the sound of dozens of cocks ticking, many not in sync with the others, it was still somewhat difficult to fall asleep. She wondered if, perhaps, she was feeling homesick? Or maybe it was just nerves that edged her stomach to be all a-flutter. Either way, she missed her bed. She missed being sent to bed with the melody of her grandmother telling her stories dancing through her head. Most of all, she really missed her grandmother. She missed Alice. She wanted her back. She wanted her to be with her in this world, alive and well. She wanted and wanted, but no amount of want made her grandmother appear before her. Tears only started to fill her eyes as she thought about her late loved one. Her bottom lip started to tremble. She covered her head with the comforter and tried her very best not to sob to loudly as the feelings of mourning overwhelmed her.

The Mortician tried not to think to much about the girl that was staying in his tower as he worked, tirelessly, on the work that had piled up because of his last sleep. He was sure that, just like Alice, she would eventually leave the Clock Tower. He couldn't allow himself to become attached to her, for the sake of his own well being. Or, that was what he told himself. Thoughts of the troublesome girl that came before Rose still made his clock feel rusted. He shook his head at himself. He was being a fool.

He tried to keep himself deep in his work, but he found himself distracted by the little noises coming from down the hall. Sharp inhales, almost like coughs, and whimpers found there way to his ears. He recognized them. Alice's granddaughter was crying. Julius's hand stalled at its work. He tightened his hold on the small rench he had been using as he fought with himself. Should he go and...aid the child? Comfort her in some way? Alice's letter had said to take care of the girl, but what could he do? He wasn't at all good at comforting people.

He hadn't realized how long he had fought with himself until the muffled sobbing fell silent. This, strangely, was more a cause for concern for the Role Holder than the crying itself. It, so to speak, was the straw that broke the camels back. Julius stood up, telling himself he would just peek in on the young teen. Just a quick check in. He walked down the hall to the room that had once belonged to Alice and hesitated, frowning at the doorframe.

He pushed aside his indecision and opened the door. Not seeing the girl, only a lump on the bed, he entered the room. With carefully placed steps he edged over to the bedside and slowly pulled the cover down. He found Rose very much asleep on her side, drying tears on her cheeks. His expression didn't change much as he released the blanket and laid it soothly over her shoulders, but he felt sympathy for her scrapping against his bones. He shook his head. What was Alice thinking, sending here to this world, of all places? He could hardly imagine that she would make it in this place.

**So...I decided to add this part onto Chapter 4. :P It didn't seem to fit in everything else that I have planned for Chapter 5. Admittedly, it didn't turn out at all as I would have liked it too...**

**Also, so far the voting is Bloody Twins 2 and Gowland 1 on who she should end up with romantically. I, personal, think the twins would be cute. :) Still taking comments and ideas!**


End file.
